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******Official Twins 2019 thread*****

MLB Network had an extended story this morning about the rest of the season for Cleveland and the Twins.

Twins have the EASIEST schedule for the remaining season as teams on their schedule have a .452 winning percentage. Conversely, Cleveland has Red Sox/Yankees before the end of August.

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. The WC team likely plays either Oakland or TB. The winner gets NYY or Astros and either one will have home field advantage. Because of better pitching... Cleveland would have a better chance in a 5/7 game series.

But Twins fans should be happy, no one expected them to be in this position in April.
 
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MitchLL said:
MLB Network had an extended story this morning about the rest of the season for Cleveland and the Twins.

Twins have the EASIEST schedule for the remaining season as teams on their schedule have a .452 winning percentage. Conversely, Cleveland has Red Sox/Yankees before the end of August.

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. The WC team likely plays either Oakland or TB. The winner gets NYY or Astros and either one will have home field advantage. Because of better pitching... Cleveland would have a better chance in a 5/7 game series.

But Twins fans should be happy, no one expected them to be in this position in April.
Click to expand...
Doesn’t matter if it was expected or not. They dropped the ball on adding a top of the rotation starter. Season like this don’t happen very often, for the Twins never. An absolute offensive machine. Ownership is likely the reason they would part with top prospects for some real starting pitching. If not this season the answer iOS obviously never if the Pohlads own the team.

It’s bullshit. Owners that want to win line in Houston seize the moment and go for it.

Twins should have been aggressive weeks ago on Stroman Syndergaard and Boyd. All of them had years of team control.

It’s bullshit.

Basically the Twins have to develop 3 stud starters at the same time if they ever want to get back to World Series. Pretty obvious they refuse to do a god damn thing to put them over the top.

Pohlads are some of the worst owners in pro sports. They don’t want to win it all, they just want to be competitive to keep the sheep buying tickets.
 
The Twins led by 11½ games on June 3 but are 30-28 since then while Cleveland has sizzled, going 41-16.

In the past four games, the Twins fell behind 11-0, 7-0, 4-0 and 6-0. Twins starters over that stretch have a 11.51 ERA on 31 hits and 15 walks over 20⅓ innings.

Twins' division lead is gone as Cleveland pulls even with 6-2 victory

Indians' early fireworks trump Twins milestone.

By La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune

AUGUST 10, 2019 — 6:51AM

Eddie Rosario launched a majestic home run to right in the sixth inning, putting the 2019 Twins in the record books for hitting the most home runs in club history. That answered one question Friday: Just how soon would the BombaSquad hit its 226th homer of the season?

Other questions went unanswered. Like when will they beat the Indians — or anyone — again? And when will a starter pitch longer than six innings and give up fewer than five runs?

Shane Bieber pitched like the All-Star Game MVP he was. Cleveland hitters poked, prodded then battered rookie lefthander Devin Smeltzer, knocking him from the game in the fifth.

The Indians looked like a first-place team on Friday. And that’s because they are after beating the Twins 6-2.

For the first time since April 26, Cleveland is in a first-place tie with the Twins. The Twins led by 11½ games on June 3 but are 30-28 since then while Cleveland has sizzled, going 41-16.

“I think they have been playing extremely well,” Twins first baseman C.J. Cron said. “We haven’t been playing up to our standard, that’s for sure. We just need to get back to the basics. We need to start hitting the ball hard. We need to start throwing the ball better. That’s everybody in here.”

Right now, it doesn’t look like they have much to offer. They have lost four in a row for the first time this season and have lost three in a row to the Indians.

Smeltzer, the rookie finesse lefthander, got through the first inning unscathed, but Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the second when Franmil Reyes — one of two hitters acquired at the trade deadline for Trevor Bauer — hit a Smeltzer pitch 113 miles per hour to left for an RBI double.

Smeltzer avoided trouble over the next two innings, but Cleveland was hitting some loud outs and got to Smeltzer in the fifth.

Oscar Mercado’s RBI single made it 2-0, the first of four consecutive hits by the Indians. Jose Ramirez’s run-scoring double ended Smeltzer’s night. Tyler Duffey entered but gave up an RBI single to Roberto Perez and a sacrifice fly to Jason Kipnis as Cleveland scored five runs in the inning to take a 6-0 lead.

In the past four games, the Twins fell behind 11-0, 7-0, 4-0 and 6-0. Twins starters over that stretch have a 11.51 ERA on 31 hits and 15 walks over 20⅓ innings.

“You don’t want to make any assumptions or judgments based on four games,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Do we want to play better? Of course we want to play better. But, I have no doubt we’re going to play better. We’re going to turn this little spurt around. Our pitchers are going to throw the ball better and we’re going to be fine.”

The offense, again, was tasked to rally. But Bieber was at his best, holding the Twins to two runs, seven hits and one walk over seven innings, with 11 strikeouts. Jason Castro homered in the fifth for the Twins’ first run, followed by Rosario’s record-breaking shot in the sixth.

The video board immediately informed the announced crowd of 36,641 of the home run milestone. Then everyone sat down to watch the Twins fail to close the gap.

And now there is no gap in the AL Central.

“[Max] Kepler might lead off the game tomorrow with a home run and all of a sudden we’re right back to hitting how we do,” Cron said. “It’s going to be something like that but, like I said we are super confident in our abilities. We’re confident we can pitch. We’re confident we can hit. Hopefully we can get back on track.”
 
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli facing first crisis
Injuries to key players and an evaporated lead in the AL Central are testing the Twins' first-year manager.
AUGUST 10, 2019 — 12:39AM

Rocco Baldelli was managing his 115th game for the Twins on Thursday night. Nelson Cruz, baseball’s best free agent signing in the winter of 2018-19, took a fierce swing at a 96 mile-per-hour pitch from Cleveland’s Mike Clevenger.

Cruz missed it, then stepped out of the batter’s box, realizing there was an issue with his left wrist. Baldelli and trainer Matt Biancuzzo came out to discuss this. After a couple of minutes, Cruz headed toward the dugout and was replaced by C.J. Cron.

It was at this point, the fourth inning of Game 1 of a first-place series against the Indians, that Baldelli was being sent headlong into the first crisis of his managerial tenure.

He was already missing the key to his team’s fielding in center fielder Byron Buxton, and he now would be missing the key to his team’s robust hitting in Cruz. And when he returned to the dugout, he was stuck watching a horrendous effort from veteran Kyle Gibson that continued a meltdown of the starting rotation.

A couple of hours later, Cleveland had held on for 7-5 victory, reducing the Twins lead to 1 game in the AL Central. And that became zero, a first-place tie, when the Indians won again Friday 6-2.

The lead was 11½ on the morning of June 4, and in truth, it has been the Indians’ amazing play — 41-16 since then — more than a Twins collapse (30-28) that has created this predicament.

The Twins were at season-high of 28 games over .500 as recently as Tuesday, before Jose Berrios threw up a clunker vs. Atlanta, and then Martin Perez continued a streak of imitating Pete Alonso’s second cousin in the Home Run Derby on Wednesday.

Gibson made it three disasters in a row — fueled by a career-high six walks — on Thursday, and then came the postgame information on Cruz’s injury.

The good news is that Cruz might be able to play in a couple of weeks. The bad news is that Cruz often swings from his shoes and he has a torn tendon in his left wrist.

Justin Morneau, now in the Twins’ TV booth, tore a tendon in his left wrist for the Twins in 2012 and resumed playing.

“That was my top hand on a swing,” Morneau said. “This is Nelson’s bottom hand. That could make a difference. I don’t know.”

Whatever the timeline, this was not a trade that a manager wanted to make as his team was trying to defend first place against righthander Shane Bieber, Cleveland’s All-Star MVP: Cruz, his season-long third hitter, for Cody Stashak, as an eighth reliever.

The Bieber-Devin Smeltzer pairing proved to be an unsurprising mismatch. Bieber went seven-plus innings, giving up with two runs and striking out 11 for his 12th victory.

Smeltzer had sneaked into the Twins rotation vs. Kansas City last Sunday and given up two hits in six scoreless innings.

He had arrived late on Saturday night, arrived at the ballpark the next morning, and dazzled a struggling team with the assortment of a traditional crafty lefthander.

The challenge Friday was completely different. Smeltzer was facing a Cleveland team that hit four home runs against him in his second career start on June 4.

And he was being asked by the Twins to slow Cleveland’s charge while facing a better lineup than in early June.

Smeltzer had six three-ball counts in the first four innings, yet was able to tightrope his way through it giving up one run. Then, he was thumped in the fifth, charged with five runs and the Twins were in familiar territory: Down big halfway through a game.

That turned into the first four-game losing streak for both the Twins and manager Baldelli. With that, the solo lead in the AL Central was gone for the first time since April 27.

Here’s the fabulous stat on the losing streak: The Twins have been outscored 28-0 to start the four games (11-0, 7-0, 4-0 and 6-0 on Friday).

There were a pair of home runs — one from Jason Castro in the fifth that landed in the flowers in left, another from Eddie Rosario on a 409-foot blast in the sixth. Those solo shots sent the Twins past their all-time record for home runs in season: 226 in the year of the baseball with a spec of plutonium in its core, surpassing 225 by Killebrew and Co. in 1963.

That was the definition of small consolation.

Cleveland’s lineup has gotten better this month with the warm bat of Jose Ramirez and the acquisitions of Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes.

As of the fourth inning Thursday, the Twins lineup became much worse, with the departure of Nelson Cruz, with his team-leading 32 home runs and 77 RBI.

Throw in a rotation facing carnage, plus no Buxton, and Rocco has himself crisis No. 1.


Patrick Reusse is a sports columnist who writes two to three columns per week.
612-673-7129
 
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By Matt Kelly @mattkellyMLB
August 9, 2019

There are 18 possible playoff teams.

The Twins have the easiest remaining schedule of all 18.

As you will see, the Phillies have the hardest.

Here’s a ranking of each contender’s strength of schedule based on opponent win percentages, along with its biggest series left between now and the close of the regular season on Sept. 29.

1. Phillies: .515
Games back in Wild Card: 1/2; Postseason odds: 12.3%

Key series: The Phillies and Nationals could collide in the National League Wild Card Game. They’re lined up for a five-game series in the season’s final week (Sept. 23-26 at WSH), thanks to a rainout from June. And, oh yeah, Bryce Harper used to call Nationals Park home. Sign us up for this one.

2. Giants: .513
Games back in Wild Card: 3; Postseason odds: 1.7%

Key series: With a large handful of clubs to jump in the Wild Card hunt, San Francisco needs to take aim at the NL Central bloc in the Cubs, Cardinals and Brewers. The Giants' four-game set against St. Louis (Sept. 2-5 at STL) will be their last opportunity.

3. Mets: .512
Games back in Wild Card: 1/2; Postseason odds: 42.5%

Key series: This weekend's set against the Nationals is huge, but the biggest one after that is probably versus the Phillies (Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at PHI). New York just took care of business against the Padres, Pirates, White Sox and Marlins, and now it’s time to “slay the giants.” If the Mets can dominate the Phillies and Nationals again Sept. 2-4, their storybook run could move even closer to reality.

4. D-backs: .507
Games back in Wild Card: 1 1/2; Postseason odds: 9.8%

Key series: Taking two of three from the Phillies this week was a big boost, and a sweep of the Brewers (Aug. 23-25 at MIL) could help the D-backs bring another part of the Wild Card pack back to them.

5. Brewers: .506
Games back in Wild Card: Half-game lead for 2nd Wild Card; Postseason odds: 28.5%

Key series: Milwaukee still has three series left against the Cardinals and two against the Cubs, so who knows where all three of those clubs will stand by mid-September. But with Chicago currently holding the best postseason odds of the three, the Brewers and Cards might be left battling it out for a Wild Card spot when they meet Sept. 13-15 in St. Louis.

6-T. Cardinals: .501
Games back in Wild Card: 1/2; Postseason odds: 28.7%

Key series: Same logic applies here as with the Brewers, and we're circling that same Sept. 13-15 series at Busch Stadium. But really, the Cardinals’ entire September is filled with key matchups, including the Giants, Nationals, Cubs (two series) and D-backs. St. Louis could control its own destiny with a strong finish.

6-T. Nationals: .501
Games back in Wild Card: Two-game lead; Postseason odds: 80.7%

Key series: Washington has already won nine of its 14 head-to-heads against Philadelphia, including four of the five staged at Nationals Park. What better way to lock up a postseason spot than beating one of your archrivals -- and former stars -- in front of the home crowd in that five-game, final-week series?

8. Indians: .500
Games back in Wild Card: 3 1/2-game lead; Postseason odds: 91.1%

Key series: The Tribe has held its own against the Twins, taking five of the 10 head-to-head matchups to this point. But this weekend’s series and the teams’ next matchup (Sept. 6-8 at MIN) are both at Target Field, with the second of them sandwiched between winnable series against the White Sox and Angels. If Cleveland can bulldoze its way through that stretch, the pressure could fall to Minnesota for their last head-to-head, Sept. 13-15 at Progressive Field.

9. Cubs: .497
Games back in Wild Card: 3 1/2-game lead in NL Central; Postseason odds: 90.8%

Key series: Baseball’s oldest rivals have a home-and-home lined up over the season’s final two weeks, and the first leg (Sept. 19-22 at CHC) is an opportunity for the Cubs to take care of business at Wrigley before the final weekend at Busch Stadium.


10. Reds: .495
Games back in Wild Card: 4 1/2; Postseason odds: 5.4%

Key series: The more chaos between the NL Central’s top three, the better chance Cincinnati has of catching up. Sweeping the Cubs at Wrigley (Sept. 16-18 at CHC) would help the Reds keep in touch.

11-T. Athletics: .492
Games back in Wild Card: 1/2; Postseason odds: 30.4%

Key series: Oakland, somewhat improbably, does not have any remaining series lined up with realistic American League Wild Card contenders. The A’s aren’t technically out of the AL West race yet, but they need to turn up the heat on Houston as soon as possible -- and next week’s four-game set at the Coliseum (Aug. 15-18 at OAK) is that opportunity.

11-T. Braves: .492
Games back in Wild Card: 5 1/2-game lead in NL East; Postseason odds: 98.7%

Key series: A three game set at Nationals Park (Sept. 13-15 at WSH) falls in the middle of the Braves’ 14 consecutive games against the Nationals and Phillies, a run that will essentially define Atlanta’s hopes for a second consecutive NL East title. Roll through this two-week stretch, and the division is wrapped up. But if the Braves stumble, the last two weeks could get nerve-wracking. A strong series in Washington could demoralize a surging challenger.

13. Red Sox: .491
Games back in Wild Card: 5 1/2; Postseason odds: 12.9%

Key series: Boston’s four-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees last week essentially put its AL East title hopes in the rear-view mirror. The Indians (Aug. 12-14 at CLE) and Rays (Sept. 20-23 at TB) are the two biggest AL Wild Card contenders left on Boston’s schedule, and they need to make up ground sooner than later.

14. Dodgers: .486
Games back in Wild Card: 18-game lead in NL West; Postseason odds: 100.0%

Key series: Los Angeles’ seventh consecutive NL West title is a foregone conclusion. Taking two out of three from the Braves (Aug. 16-18 at ATL) would likely seal up home-field advantage through the NL postseason, too.

15. Yankees: .485
Games back in Wild Card: 10 1/2-game lead in AL East; Postseason odds: 100.0%

Key series: With the AL East crown in sight and their slates against fellow division leaders Houston and Minnesota wrapped up, the Yankees’ marquee Interleague matchup at Dodger Stadium (Aug. 23-25) might be their most important showdown left. Remember, regular-season record dictates World Series home-field advantage now, and it certainly wouldn’t be shocking to see New York and Los Angeles rekindle a classic Fall Series matchup.

16. Rays: .482
Games back in Wild Card: Half-game lead for 2nd Wild Card; Postseason odds: 67.7%

Key series: Tampa Bay has a real opportunity to feast on cellar-dwellers like the Mariners, Padres, Blue Jays, Tigers and Orioles. So its remaining series against the Indians (Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at TB) and a four-game set against the Red Sox (Sept. 20-23 at BOS) really stand out. The Rays have already won nine of their 15 head-to-heads against Boston, including each of the last four.

17. Astros: .467
Games back in Wild Card: 10-game lead in AL West; Postseason odds: 100.0%

Key series: The Astros have dominated the A’s, winning nine of their first 11 head-to-head matchups. Take at least three of these four games at the Coliseum (Aug. 15-18), and Houston can really begin mapping out their stars’ rest days before October.

18. Twins: .466
Games back in Wild Card: One-game lead in AL Central; Postseason odds: 97.8%

Key series: The Twins’ current series against the Indians is probably their most important; they want to keep the Tribe at arms’ length as early and often as possible. But after this weekend, Minnesota can feast on the fading Rangers (four games), White Sox (six games) and Tigers (seven games), meaning it should be in a good position to really put the Indians away the next time they meet (Sept. 6-8 at MIN) if Cleveland struggles during a somewhat tougher stretch (three games against Boston, seven against the Yankees and Mets and three against the Rays).

Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @mattkellyMLB.

LINK TO FULL STORY: https://www.mlb.com/news/2019-mlb-teams-with-toughest-remaining-schedules
 
Minnesota fans panic; it's what we do
By Michael Rand Star Tribune

AUGUST 12, 2019 — 12:16AM

Jake Odorizzi did a good thing and the right thing late Saturday when, after throwing 5⅔ innings of shutout baseball in a very important 4-1 Twins win over Cleveland, he channeled Aaron Rodgers and essentially told Minnesota fans to R-E-L-A-X.

The biggest takeaway was Odorizzi trying to remind fans that while they carry the emotional baggage and wear the scars of every bad thing that has happened in local sports history, most of the guys on the Twins, well, aren’t from around here.

“We’re not Minnesota people that have gone through [tough times]. We’re here to win, and we’re a pretty darn good team so far this year,” Odorizzi said. “It’s easy to find panic. But there’s no panic in here.”

Less than 24 hours later, of course, the Twins had rallied in dramatic fashion and pushed themselves to the brink of another key win over Cleveland … only to send recently calmed fans back into a panic with a crushing defeat and a return to a tie in the AL Central.

Those with a keen sense of history and irony would also note that as the Twins were rallying but then losing, the one thing that can send Vikings fans into a cold sweat faster than anything else — problems in the kicking game — were reaching preseason panic levels.

The Purple used yet another draft pick on a specialist, trading for Kaare Vedvik and sending a 2020 fifth-round pick to Baltimore in the swap.

The kicker (pun intended) is that it’s unclear whether this kicker (no laughing matter) will work on field goals or punts because, you see, the Vikings have issues in both areas. Their holder is in flux, too, and they just made a rookie their long snapper. Other than that, they have this kicking game completely locked down.

That’s not traumatic at all for a fan base that has made mental playoff bookends out of Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh and watched last year’s fifth-round pick, Daniel Carlson, get cut after missing three field goals in Week 2 against Green Bay (only to get scooped up by Oakland and go 16-for-17 on field goals there).

The Twins very well could win the AL Central still, as 25 of their final 38 games are against the dregs of the division and, as Odorizzi correctly diagnosed, Cleveland is bound to come down to earth sometime.

And this Vedvik fellow might be the answer to every problem. Maybe he’ll placekick and punt? Maybe he’s shifty and quick enough to also snap and hold on those field goals? Maybe, at least, he will inspire confidence that he can put it through the uprights if that’s his assigned task?

Minnesota fans certainly would do well to not worry so much. It drains the fun out of things and, if you are inclined to believe in the collective energy of situations, might even have a negative impact on the very athletes trying to beat back years of history.

But calm might not be in our nature. When it comes to sports, Minnesotans have short fuses and long memories.

Sorry, Jake. You and your teammates might not be panicking, and rightfully so. But panic is what we do around here.

Michael Rand is the Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer. In 20 years covering Minnesota sports at the Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything.

mrand@startribune.com
612-673-7564

LINK: http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-fans-panic-it-s-what-we-do/536263922/
 
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With Indians pulling out all the stops, AL Central race will be epic

  • i

    David Schoenfield
  • ESPN Senior Writer

Aug 11, 2019; 9:36 PM CT

Things are getting serious, my friends. Citi Field was rocking and shaking; the Milwaukee Brewers drew more than 121,000 fans for a three-game series against the Texas Rangers; Yordan Alvarez is still mashing; Aristides Aquino is making us learn his name; and Hyun-Jin Ryu keeps rolling along.

Nowhere was the baseball more intense this weekend, however, than at Target Field, where the Cleveland Indians went into Minneapolis and took three of four from the Minnesota Twins, turning a two-game deficit into a dead heat atop the American League Central with 44 games remaining. Both teams are 71-47, on pace for 97 victories. It might take more than that to win the division.

Sunday's contest was the best of the series, a 7-3 win for Cleveland in 10 innings, as Carlos Santana belted a go-ahead grand slam off tough lefty Taylor Rogers. But if the Indians win this division by a game, everyone will remember Francisco Lindor's game-saving relay throw in the bottom of the ninth.

Let's set the stage:

Cleveland led 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth with closer Brad Handon the mound. Eddie Rosario doubled. Mitch Garver fanned on a 3-2 slider as Hand came back from a 3-0 count. (Garver might have wished he had swung at the 3-0 pitch.) Luis Arraez singled past Jason Kipnis, scoring Rosario to make it 3-2. C.J. Cron battled Hand for 10 pitches before lacing a 106 mph rocket into left-center to put runners at first and second. Hand wasn't fooling anybody. He had given up seven hits to lefties all season entering the inning and gave up two this inning.

That brought up Marwin Gonzalez. He hit four fouls, then this happened on the fifth pitch:



It was an aggressive send by Twins third-base coach Tony Diaz with one out, but it took a perfectly executed relay from Tyler Naquin and Lindor to nail pinch runner Ehire Adrianza. Lindor was lightning quick with his catch and release and threw a strike to catcher Kevin Plawecki:



People say the triple is the most exciting play in baseball. I'll go with a great relay at the plate -- three fielders in cohesion, showcasing the intricacies of well-executed defense. That relay was the difference between a two-game deficit and the tie we now have. How great is baseball?

The key for Cleveland remains getting solid work from the back of its rotation -- and the front office clearly had confidence in those guys when it traded Trevor Bauer. Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber won the first two games of the series, as they are the aces in the absence of Corey Kluberand Carlos Carrasco. Adam Plutko had a solid effort in a 4-1 loss Saturday. But rookie Aaron Civale, making his third career start, shut down the high-powered Twins offense Sunday; he gave up one run and four hits in six innings.

Where do the Indians keep finding these guys? Civale was Cleveland's No. 15 prospect before the season, according to Baseball America, and was a third-round pick in 2016 out of Northeastern. Zach Plesac wasn't even in the top 30, a 12th-rounder the same year out of Ball State. Credit to Cleveland's scouting department -- Civale wasn't even a starter until his junior season -- and the player development staff for getting these two to the majors so quickly. They have given Cleveland 16 much-needed good starts so far and helped the Indians to a 37-14 record since June 14 as they clawed back from 11 games out.

Civale isn't overpowering, with a two-seamer that sits in the low 90s. Early on against the Twins, he relied on that sinker plus a slider and cutter. The second time through the order he mixed in an occasional changeup and curveball to give the Twins another look. Most important, he throws strikes and changes speed. Look at one sequence versus Arraez in the fifth inning:

Sinker: 92 mph
Cutter: 88 mph
Curveball: 92 mph
Sinker: 93 mph
Sinker: 93 mph
Sinker: 94 mph
Changeup: 86 mph

Arraez finally flied out.

Is Civale the next Bieber? I don't know about that, but there's some similarity in their pedigrees and minor league numbers. And there's no doubt that the Indians find a way to get the most out of their starting pitchers. The Indians are 8-3 since Aug. 1 -- Yasiel Puig has hit .357/.413/.571 in 11 games, although Franmil Reyes is hitting .111 -- and they're doing it the way they've done it all season: with good pitching. This race is going down to the wire.

Upset of the ... decade? The Astros had just beat the Orioles 23-2 on Saturday. The Orioles were 1-5 on the week and had served up 22 home runs in those five losses. Oh, and Justin Verlander was starting Sunday for Houston. That made the Astros a huge favorite in Las Vegas. They closed at -460 at Caesars Sportsbook, just the ninth favorite of minus-400 or greater since 2005. Only the Dodgers at minus-485 for a game against the Braves in 2016 were a bigger favorite.
 
So it wasn't a surprise when the Astros scored three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 7-5 lead. But miracle of miracles, the Astros couldn't get the final three outs. With two out and one on, Rio Ruiz came up against closer Roberto Osuna and did this:



Good for the Orioles! Bad for Caesars. The price on the Astros' money line scared away many bettors at Caesars as 97% of the money was on Baltimore. Ouch.

Nationals cool down red-hot Mets: After a demoralizing loss in the ninth inning Friday when the Mets scored four runs off Sean Doolittle, then another bitter defeat Saturday when the Mets beat Fernando Rodneyin the eighth, it's safe to say the Nationals needed a victory Sunday. No easy task given that Jacob deGrom started for the Mets.

The key play actually came in the top of the first, with bases loaded and two out after an infield hit, a single and a walk. Pete Alonso made a diving stop on Asdrubal Cabrera's grounder, but then threw the ball away -- as all three baserunners came around to score. The throw was a little high, but deGrom also hesitated as he came to first base and the ball glanced off his glove and rolled to the backstop. DeGrom actually had to chase it down, and the Mets should have gotten Juan Soto for the third out, but Wilson Ramos dropped that throw. Ugly play.

Anyway, that was all deGrom would give up, but the Nationals worked him for 101 pitches in just five innings. And since no starter is allowed by rule to throw more than 110 pitches now, that meant four innings from the Mets' bullpen, and the Nationals tacked on four runs for a 7-4 victory, as Anthony Rendon went 4-for-5 and raised his line to .320/.404/.607.

The loss snapped the Mets' eight-game win streak, but they've still won 15 of 17. And they start the week 1½ games behind the Nationals and one game behind the Cardinals in the wild-card race (with the Brewers a half-game behind St. Louis).

Shutout of the day: The Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep in Seattle -- two by one run -- with a 1-0 victory behind former Mariner Ryan Yarbrough, who pitched 8⅔ scoreless innings. Kevin Cash pulled him with two out and nobody on the ninth. Apparently, 99 pitches was his limit, even though he had allowed just three singles. Come on, Kevin! (OK, credit to Cash for not getting emotional about the shutout. The Mariners had a right-hander up in Domingo Santana, so he brought in Emilio Pagan. The Mariners did pinch hit Omar Narvaez, but he grounded out.)

With Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yonny Chirinos on the injured list, Yarbrough has been huge for the Rays, working as both a starter and "bulk" guy behind the opener. He now is 11-3 with a 3.56 ERA. Batters are hitting a meager .211/.246/.349 against him. In fact, he has been better against righties than lefties:

Right-handed batters: .210/.243/.326
Left-handed batters: .213/.255/.415

That's a testament to the quality of his changeup and curveball, since Yarbrough doesn't break 90 mph very often with his fastball (88.2 mph on average). But -- think of Civale -- he throws strikes and doesn't beat himself.

Yarbrough also is another testament to the Rays' scouting and analytics department, which liked him even though he wasn't a flamethrower. He came over in the first Mallex Smith trade in exchange for Drew Smyly, who got hurt in spring training and never pitched for Seattle. Yarbrough is now 27-9 in his two seasons with Rays. Not bad for a guy who was kind of the throw-in in that deal.

After the game, Yarbrough told reporters that he was "obviously, a little angry" at getting the hook and missing out on the shutout.

"But I think [Cash] would want me to be. I think he would want me to want to finish it. I don't think I have any ill will about it or anything," Yarbrough said. "Cash simply went with what he thought was the best matchup for the final out."

Cash offered his take.

"Very difficult decision, given obviously with what Yarbs provided for us. But felt like that was to give us the best chance to win," Cash said.

Yes, that's Jorge Soler with 35 home runs: I know, I know, we could do a crazy home run note every night. But this one has kind of come out of nowhere. Soler belted two home runs in the Royals' 10-2 win over the Tigers, and he now is to second to Mike Trout (39) in the AL in home runs. Some notes:

• Soler is hitting .327/.455/.755 with 12 home runs since the All-Star break. It's that .455 OBP that impresses me: He has 22 walks and 23 strikeouts, after being 28 and 108 in the first half. He might be figuring things out here.

• The Royals' team record for home runs is 38 by Mike Moustakas, set in 2017, so Soler is going to roar past that milestone.

• Since the Royals have had few great sluggers in their franchise story, and because Kauffman Stadium is a tough home run park, they've never had a player lead the American League in home runs. Moustakas ranked fifth in 2017. Steve Balboni ranked third in 1985 when he hit 36 and John Mayberry also ranked third in 1975 when he hit 34, the highest finishes ever for a Royals player.
 
It's not common to have a column written about a 3rd base coach.

Until now.

Tony Diaz deserves nickname after his wacked-out weekend with Twins
By Patrick Reusse

AUGUST 12, 2019 — 6:49PM

The Twins were so financially strapped in 1974 and 1975 that owner Calvin Griffith limited manager Frank Quilici to three coaches: pitching coach Bob Rodgers, first base coach Vern Morgan and third base/hitting coach Ralph Rowe in 1974, and pitching coach Lee Stange, Morgan and Rowe in 1975.

Gene Mauch replaced Quilici as manager after the 1976 season. Mauch insisted on four coaches, in order to bring in his right-hand man, Jerry Zimmerman, as the bullpen coach. He joined player-hitting coach Tony Oliva, pitching coach Don McMahon, and Eddie Lyons as the third base coach.

Lyons had been a scout for 18 years, thus far removed from being in uniform. He was a pal of the Griffiths from many visits to Met Stadium as a scout, and Mauch was convinced to give Eddie a shot at third base.

I was the beat writer for the St. Paul newspapers and had shared enough postgame beverages in the Twins hospitality room with Lyons to consider him a great guy.

Unfortunately, the gaffes at third base in exhibition games occurred with enough regularity that Lyons’ coaching already was being questioned by the middle of March. We would attach a few notes at the end of the daily Twins features and “Lyons’ latest’’ became a regular item in the afternoon Dispatch.

One day in Orlando, Eddie was almost KO’d by a line drive and severely twisted a knee in getting out of the way. He was determined to do this, though, and hobbled through the rest of spring training and into the regular season.

On April 19, in the ninth game of the season, the Twins lost 2-0 in Boston. The Red Sox were playing back with Rod Carew at second and Jerry Terrell at third in the sixth inning. A ground ball was hit to shortstop and Terrell didn’t break for home.

Lyons was seen solemnly leaving Mauch’s office after a postgame meeting. Four days later, Mauch announced that Lyons was being moved off third and the manager himself would coach third base.

In early May, Joe Nossek was hired to replace Lyons. Poor Eddie had knee surgery that month and then returned to scouting.

There is nothing to compare with third base coaching in North America’s four major sports. You can call an offensive play in football and hope that it works. You can bellow out instructions from a basketball sideline, and hope that the target of said instruction is listening. Bob Motzko can draw up his power play for the weakside opening, but it’s still going to be 25 percent at best.

Only in baseball can you put a coach basically on the field, and with waving or halting arms, decide during a key fraction of time whether to win a game, or lose a game, or to put the outcome on hold for the next batter.

Third base coaches are baseball’s version of the offensive coordinator, in this sense: Once you have erred badly in the view of the public (and/or media) and deemed unworthy of trust, there is very little chance for redemption.

You can become more than a punch line. You can become a verb.

In Minnesota, three decades ago, the Vikings offense wasn’t snookered — it was Schnelkered. In Boston and on the North Side of Chicago, the Red Sox and Cubs scoring chances weren’t waylaid — they were Wendell-ed.

Those are my two favorite fan bases in baseball: Red Sox and Cubs. Not because they care more than fans of the Cardinals, Dodgers or Yankees, but because they don’t forget. Even with recent championships, they are haunted by past failures.

In honor of the rocky weekend for the Twins’ Tony Diaz, I texted ball-writing friends in Boston and Chicago and asked if there was a third base coach of legend that still draws head shakes from Red Sox and Cubs fans.

I received answers from both. And both answers were, “Wendell Kim.’’

Kim coached third for the Red Sox from 1997 to 2000 and third for the Cubs in 2003 and 2004. That was his last big-league job. Sadly, Wendell was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years later and he died in 2015 at age 64.

Still, he lives at both Fenway Park and Wrigley Field as Wavin’ Wendell (also, Wave-'em-in Wendell and Windmill Wendell) — both for the exuberance of his waving arms on that 5-foot-5 frame, but also for decisions gone bad.

The Twins’ Diaz is in his first season coaching third base in the big leagues. He had tried to send slow C.J. Cron a while back and got him thrown out by 15 feet. There had been a few other mystifying “sends,’’ and then came this past weekend:

Diaz had Cron thrown out at the plate on Saturday night, when the only chance for C.J. to score would have been a small meteor landing on Yasiel Puig in right field as he was preparing to throw home. And then on Sunday, Diaz had Ehire Adrianza thrown out easily in the bottom of the ninth — and a 7-3 loss to Cleveland followed.

These were Two Days in August that earned Diaz a place in Twins’ infamy, and also a nickname. As proven by Wavin’ Wendell, alliteration and the idea of movement are very important in creating a third base coaching legend.

My nomination is Turbo Tony. I’ve also seen Turnstile Tony, which is a contender. Further nominations will be accepted.

OLDER POST
Reusse: After decade of travels, Swarzak has World Series shot with Atlanta





Patrick Reusse has been covering sports in the Twin Cities since 1968. He has been a Star Tribune sports columnist since 1988. His sportswriting credo is twofold: 1. God will provide an angle; 2. The smaller the ball, the better the writing.

Follow @patrickreusse on Twitter.

Email Patrick
 
I’m probably going to get roasted, but I actually think the Twins should’ve dealt Buxton for Syndergaard.

Sell high. The guy is an injury waiting to happen. And yes, I’m chickenshit for waiting until after the deadline to say it.
 
Greenway4Prez said:
I’m probably going to get roasted, but I actually think the Twins should’ve dealt Buxton for Syndergaard.

Sell high. The guy is an injury waiting to happen. And yes, I’m chickenshit for waiting until after the deadline to say it.
Click to expand...

I agree, seriously, the Twins should have gone all in to win it, now, the Indians are better than the Twins and will probably win this division that the Twins had in the bag. Its not over of course but the Indians got much better at the deadline.
 
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Greenway4Prez said:
I’m probably going to get roasted, but I actually think the Twins should’ve dealt Buxton for Syndergaard.

Sell high. The guy is an injury waiting to happen. And yes, I’m chickenshit for waiting until after the deadline to say it.
Click to expand...
Yes. Hell yes.

If you follow the twins you know the twins can’t develop their own pitching. They suck at it with a track record over two decades of garbage.

Syndergaard was under control for two more years.

Buxton is always hurt and when he gets the big bucks the Pohlads will use it as an excuse to not sign other players. And Buxton will be on DL 50 games a year.
 
Run&Blade said:
Yes. Hell yes.

If you follow the twins you know the twins can’t develop their own pitching. They suck at it with a track record over two decades of garbage.

Syndergaard was under control for two more years.

Buxton is always hurt and when he gets the big bucks the Pohlads will use it as an excuse to not sign other players. And Buxton will be on DL 50 games a year.
Click to expand...
i have to admit, Max Kepler does not look bad in center.

Didn't the Mets want Buxton & 2 of the top Twins prospects?
 
Franisdaman said:
i have to admit, Max Kepler does not look bad in center.

Didn't the Mets want Buxton & 2 of the top Twins prospects?
Click to expand...
Never really heard and I listen to kfan a decent amount.

Not sure if it was just Buxton or him and another 1 or 2.
 
WorldSeriesChamps2015 said:
It had to be more than just Buxton, with Synderdouchebag under control a couple more years, and being one of the top starters, no way would it be just Buxton.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it was just Buxton and twins werent willing to move on from one of the best gloves in CF and a guy who is hitting better every year.
 
Odds to Arraez to injuries: Five things to know about the Twins

By Howard Sinker
AUGUST 15, 2019 — 11:53AM

What’s the best way to balance your excitement about the Twins being in first place with your concerns about their recent struggles? Statistics can provide both comfort and caution as the division races move into the final 6 ½ weeks. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

We’ll refrain from drawing too many conclusions and let you decide how optimistic to be.

What are the odds? It wasn’t long ago when the Twins were seen as having a better than 90% chance of winning the AL Central title, a number that held pretty steady even after Cleveland started chopping into the division lead that was as great as 11½ games. Now, however, the Twins are seen as having “only” a 60% chance of winning the division, according to 538.com, and a 71% chance, according to baseball-reference.com. Both sites still have the Twins as a near-lock to make the playoffs (93% and 96%), but their chances of winning the World Series are pretty much at the “Dream On” level.

How easy is the schedule? You’ve likely been hearing often that the Twins have an easier road in the final weeks of the season than does Cleveland – or any other team, for that matter. You can find an assortment of breakdowns of that data on the web. Here’s an easy-to-follow chart from playoffstatus.com that shows the Twins having the easiest remaining schedule among all 30 MLB teams. Upcoming Minnesota opponents have won 44% of their games, compared to 50% for Cleveland’s remaining opponents.

Schoop vs. Dozier? Earlier in the season, the tradeoff of second basemen for the Twins – trading Brian Dozier to the Dodgers last summer and signing Jonathan Schoop as a free agent – looked like an obvious gain for the Twins. Schoop started the season hot and Dozier cold as the second baseman for the Washington Nationals. Now the numbers aren’t so one-sided. Schoop’s slash line is .252 batting average/.300 on-base percentage/.449 slugging percentage. Dozier’s is .233/.335/.430. Dozier has 17 homers, Schoop has 16. Neither look to be part of their teams’ futures, especially with the Twins having rookie Luis Arraez seeing more and more time at second base.

What about Arraez? Among first-year players with a minimum of 200 plate appearances, Arraez leads the majors in batting average at .348, is second in on-base percentage at .420 and is seventh in OPS at .862. It’s been well chronicled that Arraez hit well at every minor-league level, which earned his promotion to the majors in front of several other higher-profile minor leaguers. He’s also become a better defensive player during his journey through the minors, even though you’re unlikely to hear his name and “Gold Glove” in the same sentence. The best rookie in the American League? Arraez is probably second behind the Houston's Yordan Alvarez,who also brings power to the Astros’ lineup.

All those injuries? Yes, Byron Buxton keeps getting hurt and Nelson Cruz has ended up on the injured list a couple of times. But the Twins haven’t suffered the impact of injuries as much as most other teams, including Cleveland. The Twins have placed 16 players in the injured list this season for a total of 394 days; Cleveland has put players on the IL 17 times for 956 days. Seven Cleveland players have spent more than 70 days on the injured list this season, including key pitchers Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. The Twins' IL leaders? Willians Astudillo at 65 days and Adalberto Mejia at 62. Here’s the team-by-team list, and a good-natured plea that the clinic advertising on Twins games stops using Buxton as an example. It only adds to the (perceived) pain.

http://www.startribune.com/odds-to-arraez-to-injuries-five-things-to-know-about-the-twins/544737692/
 
Losing a game 19-5 is one loss. Tonite the NYY win 3-2.

Potentially... the Yanks could get outscored by 10 runs and win the series 3-1.
 
Aug 18, 2019


The latest Power Rankings:



greyline.png

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers
    2019 record: 82-44
    Week 19 ranking: 2

    i
    Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed four runs on Saturday against the Braves, marking just the second time all season that he has allowed more than two earned runs in a game. His ERA rose all the way to 1.58, but he still has a chance to finish with the lowest ERA by a starter since Bob Gibson's historic 1.12 mark in 1968. Dwight Gooden's 1.53 mark in 1985 stands as the best post-Gibson, and as the Dodgers run away with the National League West, Ryu is the man to watch down the stretch. -- David Schoenfield

    ICYMI: Dodgers to try top prospect May in relief role

  2. New York Yankees
    2019 record: 83-43
    Week 19 ranking: 3

    i
    James Paxton just had another ho-hum start of five innings, six hits, four runs. That has been the story of his season: an occasional brilliant start, an occasional clunker, mostly a whole lot of mediocrity. When he was with Seattle, he was capable of runs of dominance, such as a seven-start stretch last season in which he had a 1.60 ERA, including a no-hitter, a 16-strikeout game and another complete game. The Yankees would love to see a flurry of his best pitching heading into the postseason. -- Schoenfield

    ICYMI: How fan's viral video turned Aaron Boone's Yankees into 'savages'

  3. Houston Astros
    2019 record: 79-46
    Week 19 ranking: 1

    i
    Even though Yordan Alvarez did not debut in the majors until June, he could end up leading American League rookies in myriad offensive categories, including home runs, OPS and WAR. With the team's rotation and bullpen depth mild concerns, Alvarez, who has generally handled designated hitter duties, is hammering all pitching and has added length to the lineup. The 22-year-old Cuban might not have the bulk plate appearances to impress voters, but this looks like the top rookie season. -- Eric Karabell

    ICYMI: Astros, Dodgers or Yankees: Which is MLB's best now -- and for October?

  4. Minnesota Twins
    2019 record: 76-48
    Week 19 ranking: 5

    i
    Lefty Taylor Rogers saved two games in his first three big league seasons over 198 appearances. This season, thanks to the struggles and release of Blake Parker, the closing role has been mostly Rogers', and his performance will be key down the stretch. Perhaps right-hander Sergio Romo, acquired recently in trade, will see chances too. Rogers has made strides in strikeout rate this season, but, as with many others, home runs have become an issue, especially to right-handed hitters. Still, in a bullpen that has sputtered of late, Rogers needs to continue to thrive. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Nelson Cruz won't need wrist surgery

  5. Cleveland Indians
    2019 record: 74-51
    Week 19 ranking: 4

    i
    Perhaps just as important as keeping up with the Twins, despite a tougher schedule, the Indians need the starting pitching depth to be able to hang with MLB's elite. Corey Kluber just went to the minors for a rehab assignment, and for the Indians to avoid having to count on both Zach Plesac (5.32 FIP) and Adam Plutko (6.09), they need the former Cy Young winner to show that he has healed from his non-displaced ulna fracture to round out a front three with Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger. -- Christina Kahrl

    ICYMI: Carrasco throws first BP since leukemia diagnosis

  6. Oakland Athletics
    2019 record: 71-53
    Week 19 ranking: 9

    i
    Taking for granted that the Athletics' latest collection of pitching castoffs will continue to deliver on the mound, the player to watch down the stretch is Khris Davis. After hitting 113 home runs in the previous three seasons, the DH has just 17 so far this season while putting up a career-worst .288 wOBA, and since June 19, he has hit just one home run in 165 plate appearances (to go with an unemployable .232 wOBA). The A's bid for a wild card or even catching the Astros needs all the help it can get; a return to form from Davis would be huge. -- Kahrl

    ICYMI: Jurickson, Juremi and now Jurdrick -- there's another Profar ready to rock Williamsport

  7. Tampa Bay Rays
    2019 record: 73-52
    Week 19 ranking: 6

    i
    The Rays continue to mix and match a bevy of arms in pitching roles of varying durations. But as they hope to field a full and mostly healthy rotation before the postseason arrives, the one stable component has been Charlie Morton. In his first 11 seasons, the 35-year-old Morton topped out at 171⅔ innings pitched in 2011. He's 15⅔ innings away from that total already, with six weeks left in the season. The Rays are locked in a tight battle for a playoff spot and need Morton's continued stability. But they also need him fresh for October, beginning with a possible wild-card game start. For Morton, he's chasing an ERA title and a possible Cy Young Award. -- Bradford Doolittle

 
The Rally...Squirrel???

Yikes. When I see squirrels, I see a version of a rat! The eyes, the long furry body; the only difference between a squirrel and a rat is that the squirrel's long tail is furry.

Check the story out:

For second night, squirrel steals the show at Target Field
Minneapolis Star Tribune

AUGUST 21, 2019 — 7:23AM

ECdYmjSXUAI2BXI


For the second straight night, the Twins and White Sox were briefly interrupted by a squirrel who decided that Target Field isn't a bad place to hang out.

The squirrel made its first appearance during Monday night's game with Nelson Cruz at the plate.

It ended up in the Twins dugout, Miguel Sano ended up outside the dugout and Cruz ended up hitting a single.

Watch:



"Chasing all the big, strong baseball players out of the way," commentator Roy Smalley deadpanned.

One visit wasn't enough, apparently.

Here's the encore from Tuesday night's game, in two parts. First, it interrupted Jorge Polanco's at-bat:



Then, it made a clean getaway as the Twins scored four runs to break open a 3-3 tie. The Twins went on to win 14-4.



http://www.startribune.com/for-seco...el-interrupts-twins-white-sox-game/557609841/
 
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The Twins are the greatest slugging team of all time

All right, that’s a sentence meant to be taken more literally than figuratively, because … literally: The Twins have the highest team slugging percentage in history.

2019 Twins: .499
2003 Red Sox: .491
1927 Yankees: .489

We like to work in ’27 Yankees comparisons any chance we get.

Now, obviously, there are environmental factors in play here. But even if you figured the new-look Twins lineup, which ranked 18th in the Majors in slugging last season, would mash quite a bit more in 2019 after the additions of C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop and the ageless Nelson Cruz, this is certainly on the extreme side.

Oh, and Mitch Garver has the 12th-highest slugging percentage all time for a catcher with at least 250 plate appearances, which … what? C’mon.

https://www.mlb.com/news/seven-things-nobody-saw-coming-this-season
 
Power Rankings

By Alyson Footer @alysonfooter
August 25, 2019
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-week-21-power-rankings

The National League Central race has been compelling all season, mainly because it's the only division where three teams have legitimately been in this thing all season, and at no point have any of the three clubs fallen off dramatically, only to have to claw their way back.

But this division often was centered around mediocrity. That's not to say that the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals have not had had strong stretches at various times through the season. It's just that none of them ever put together an extended run of dominance that allowed them to take firm control of the division lead.

Until now. Maybe.

• MLB standings

The first-place Cardinals, fresh off a four-game sweep of the Rockies, are on quite a run. We'll know a little more three days from now, when St. Louis has completed a road series with the Brewers (currently 4 1/2 games back), but the Cardinals are surging when the others are merely treading water. They have won an MLB-best 13 of 16 games since Aug. 9.

If they can pad their lead a little more during a Reds-Giants-Pirates-Rockies stretch coming up, they may have some wiggle room when the schedule toughens up in the second half of September.

Biggest jump: The A's jumped five spots, up to No. 6. They dropped a two-game weekend set to the Giants, but that should do nothing to diminish the shine of sweeping the Yankees at home, just after taking three of four from the Astros. Oakland has won 13 of 20 games in August, and since the All-Star break, the A's are 24-14.

Biggest drop: The Indians dropped five spots to No. 11. Losing Jose Ramirez, who will have surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, is a huge blow to the Indians, who are, to put it simply, very good when Ramirez is contributing offensively and not so good when he's not. The Tribe is 38-7 when Ramirez records at least one RBI, and 38-48 when he does not. Ramirez was slashing .327/.363/.705 after the All-Star break, which, not so coincidentally, is also around the time the Indians started to heat up.

1. Dodgers (1 last week)

They lost two of three to the Yankees over the weekend in what could have been a World Series preview, but with the best record in baseball and a magic number of 12, the Dodgers remain in the top spot of our Power Rankings. Their schedule gets a lot easier coming up -- for the next two weeks, they'll play only teams in the NL West, which the Dodgers are running away with, and when that stretch ends, they'll play three games at Baltimore.

2. Astros (2)

The Astros need to play at just a .500 clip for the remainder of the season to end up with 100 wins for the third season in a row, and it's likely they'll keep their foot on the gas the rest of the way in an effort to gain home-field advantage in the postseason. The Astros' 85-47 record can be attributed to a slew of players, but this week, let's focus on Alex Bregman, who has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games and is slashing .392/.484/.797 with six homers and 27 RBIs in August. His RBI total leads all of baseball this month.

3. Yankees (3)

With three more homers Sunday, the Yankees have 61 roundtrippers in August, a Major League record for the most homers in any month. And they still have five games left before the calendar flips to September. Aaron Judge, who homered in Sunday's finale with the Dodgers, has been especially hot lately, batting .364 (12-for-33) with four homers, three doubles and six RBIs in his past eight games. Gio Urshela has had a fantastic month to add to a great season -- over his past 27 games, he's hitting .422 (46-for-109) with eight homers and 21 RBIs.

4. Braves (5)

The Braves matched their season high with a ninth straight win on Sunday, en route to a sweep of the Mets. Dallas Keuchel was brilliant in Sunday's finale, throwing seven shutout innings while striking out seven. During the nine-game winning streak, the Braves' bullpen has allowed two runs over 28 1/3 innings for a 0.64 ERA, though their streak of 25 consecutive scoreless innings ended when Mark Melancon allowed a run Sunday. Prior to this stretch, the Braves' bullpen had the worst second-half ERA at 7.13.

5. Twins (4)

This was supposed to be an easier part of their schedule, with the Twins spending two weeks playing no one but the White Sox and Tigers. Chicago, however, took two of three early last week before the Twins rebounded and won two of three vs. Detroit. Still, the Twins' offense, for the most part, is humming, and we may see them pull away in the AL Central a little, due mostly to the Indians' loss of Ramirez.

The rest of the Top 20:

6. A's (11)
7. Rays (7)
8. Cardinals (10)
9. Cubs (9)
10. Nationals (8)
11. Indians (6)
12. Mets (12)
13. Brewers (14)
14. Red Sox (15)
15. Phillies (13)
16. D-backs (16)
17. Giants (17)
18. Reds (18)
19. Rangers (20)
20. Angels (NR)



Alyson Footer is a national correspondent for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @alysonfooter.
 
Rocco, the 2019 AL Manager of the Year?

The soon to be World Series Champion Minnesota Twins (80-51) have reached the 80-victory mark the second fastest in team history, behind only the 1965 American League championship squad.

In addition, the last time the Twins were 29 games over .500 was in 2010.

Yikes.
 
After the 2nd inning of tonight's (Aug 28) game:

* 7 Twins have now hit 20 or more HRs this season; that ties an MLB Record.

* The Twins have hit 256 HRs so far this season. They are set to shatter that record.
 
The soon to be World Series Champion Minnesota Twins continue to shatter MLB records this year.

Twins break record for home runs on the road

CHICAGO -- The Minnesota Twins broke a major league record for most home runs on the road, getting back-to-back homers in the third inning Thursday (Aug 29) for 140.

Jake Cave led off the third with a solo shot off Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease to give the AL Central leaders the record. That surpassed the 138 set by the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

C.J. Cron followed with a drive to center to give Minnesota 140 long balls on the road.

Cave homered again in the seventh inning with another solo blast to right field off of Hector Santiago, in the Twins 10-5 victory.

The Twins, in 133 games (they are 82-51), have a major league-leading 261 home runs overall this season.
 
Twins' break single-season Home Run record

  • David Schoenfield
  • ESPN Senior Writer

Aug 31, 2019

There it is! Or, rather, there it goes! The Minnesota Twins blasted their way into the record books Saturday night, hitting their 263rd, 264th, 265th, 266th, 267th and 268th home runs of the season, breaking the single-season record of 267 set by the New York Yankees way back in ... 2018.

In a game that perhaps perfectly sums up the entire barrage of home runs in 2019, the Twins lost 10-7 to the Tigers, however. It was the first time in franchise history the Twins hit five home runs in a game and lost -- they had been 49-0. (They're not alone in this category this season. Ten other teams have hit at least five home runs and lost, and two of those hit six.)

While it's not a surprise the Yankees' record failed to last, no one would have predicted in March that the Twins would be the first team to beat it. They hit 166 home runs in 2018, ranking just 12th in the American League. Eddie Rosario led the team with 24. This year, they already have six players with at least 24 home runs: Max Kepler (36), Nelson Cruz (34), Rosario (27), Miguel Sano (26), Mitch Garver (26) and C.J. Cron (24). With 27 games to play, the Twins are on pace for 321 home runs -- nearly doubling their total from last season.

Twins home runs by month:
March/April: 50
May: 56
June: 51
July: 52
August: 59

The single-season leaders:
2019 Twins: 268
2018 Yankees: 267
1997 Mariners: 264
2005 Rangers: 260

Oh, by the way, the Twins better not slow down in September. The Yankees are within striking distance with 254 home runs.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27511067/twins-best-long-ball-moments-their-homer-happy-season
 
Tonight, the Twins won at Boston & the Indians lost at home to the ChiSox.

The Twins (86-52, .623) MAGIC NUMBER IS 18. Any combination of a Twins win and an Indians loss that adds to 18 will clinch the AL Central for Minnesota.


24 games to go for the Twins!
3 ChiSox
3 Detroit
7 Kansas City
6 Cleveland
2 Boston
3 Washington

23 games to go for the Indians!
5 ChiSox
3 Detroit
0 Kansas City
6 Minnesota
3 Philadelphia
3 Washington
3 Angels
 
Tonight, the Twins MAGIC NUMBER decreased from 18 to 16 (the Twins won at Boston & the Indians lost at home to the ChiSox).

The Twins (87-53, .621) MAGIC NUMBER IS 16. Any combination of a Twins win and an Indians loss that adds to 16 will clinch the AL Central for Minnesota.

22 games to go for the Twins (87-53)!
3 ChiSox
3 Detroit
7 Kansas City
6 Cleveland
3 Washington

21 games to go for the Indians (81-60)!
3 ChiSox
3 Detroit
0 Kansas City
6 Minnesota
3 Philadelphia
3 Washington
3 Angels
 
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The soon to be World Series Champion Twins just completed their first 8-2 road trip since 1991.

You know, 1991, when they won their last World Series Championship.

3-0 vs ChiSox
3-1 vs Detroit
2-1 vs Boston
8-2 Road trip
 
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Looking good for division.

Could get swept in playoffs with that horrible rotation.
 
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